Macworld Conference & Expo Boston kicks off on Tuesday, which means that the User Group Lounge, in room 160 of the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, will also open, ready to host a wide variety of Mac personalities during the three days of the show. Tuesday’s line-up includes Macworld magazine’s Peter Cohen, Andy Ihnatko and Jason Snell, Adam Engst of TidBITS and others; check the Macintosh User Group (MUG) Center’s lounge calendar for the complete list. Out on the show floor, the MUG User Group Booth will also be open for business, with volunteers from Boston Mac, Long Island MUG, Washington Apple Pi, Main Line MUG and other user groups ready to answer attendees’ questions and pass out information about the MUG experience.
In this week’s MUG Center update, editor Chuck Joiner also reminds readers that Boston Mac (BMac) and the Boston Final Cut Pro User Group (BOSFCPUG) are holding events during Macworld. BMac will have its next meeting on July 13 in room 345 of MIT Building E51 on the MIT campus in Cambridge, Mass., during which the group will welcome Apple systems engineer Dave Marra for a look at Apple’s newest hardware and software, including AirPort Extreme and Mac OS X v10.4 “Tiger.” The event starts at 7:00 p.m.; check the BMac site for directions.
Meanwhile, on July 12, BOSFCPUG will present “HD in Motion” at Boston’s Faneuil Hall, where representatives from the New England Aquarium, Apple, Panasonic, Boris and Ripple Training will cover the latest in high-definition digital video, including the Boston debut of Apple’s Motion application. BOSFCPUG will also give away two iPod Minis, copies of Boris software, New England Aquarium passes and more during the Big Dig Raffle, which requires a $5 donation. The doors open at 6:00 p.m. and the event will start at 6:30; attendance is free, although you must register on Apple’s seminars site.
BOSFCPUG will also be on the Macworld show floor with “Geek My Ride,” a parody of MTV’s “Pimp My Ride” put together with Tech Superpowers. The ultimate digital video editing set-up features an Xserve, dual 2GHz Power Mac G5s, 1.75TB of RAID storage and more crammed in a Lexus IS300.
Other MUG-related events happening during Macworld include the 15th annual User Group Soiree at the restaurant Shenennigans on July 13, the Mardi Gras-styled 1st Annual Macworld Conference & Expo Attendance Party at The Big Easy in Boston on July 14 and “Meet the Show Management,” a wrap-up session in the User Group Lounge on July 15 that will allow attendees to offer feedback to three IDG representatives. After the show, User Group Leadership Conference sponsor 4D will kick off a tour of MUGs throughout the United States, starting with a visit to Apple Corps of Dallas, Texas on July 17 and ending with a stop at Santa Barbara MUG on Nov. 18. All of 4D’s visits are listed on the MUG Center’s online calendar, and you can check out a special page on the company’s Web site to find out how to request a visit for your group.
Finally, Macworld Boston isn’t the only trade show where you’ll find MUG events this week. On July 15, Final Cut Pro users groups from New York City, Connecticut and New Jersey will hold a special meeting at Apple’s SoHo store starting at 5:30 p.m. It’s part of the events happening during Digital Video Expo East, which is being held in New York’s Javits Convention Center July 12-16. Visit the store’s Web page on Apple’s site to get directions.
Macintosh User Groups interested in seeing their events listed on MacCentral are welcome to send us their news. We post roundups of MUG events and gatherings each week.
If you’re wondering what user group events are happening in your area, visit the MUG Center’s online calendar. Apple also hosts a user group site where you can look for a MUG near you or find out how to start your own group.